Homemade detergents......

Today's adventure consisted of making homemade laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent. The boys and I had fun. (Well, actually I did most of the work because I wasn't sure how messy they would be and I didn't want them to eat any of the ingredients!) They watched and stirred.....a little!

I got this "recipe" from my new favorite addiction....Pinterest! Check it out if you haven't----pinterest.com

I have a front loading HE washing machine. I am not sure about putting powder detergent in the soap dispenser so I just sprinkled some on the clothes inside the drum before I started it. Make sense?

Our fairly new dishwasher is "top of the line" according to the man at Lowe's, but it STINKS! Literally! It stinks and it doesn't wash the dishes worth a dang! So I am VERY hopeful that these "old school" ingredients will help! Otherwise, we will have to get a new one! Yes, I HATE hand washing dishes that bad. THAT. BAD.

Sorry, back to the "recipe"
You will need: (this will be enough to make both detergents)--I got all this at Publix for about $20

1 4 lb.box of Mule Borax
1 4 lb. box of Arm and Hammer Baking Soda
1 4 lb. box of Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
2 bars of Fels-Naptha soap--grate up 1 and 1/2 bars with cheese grater
1 3lb container of Oxy Clean--this is optional but my boys are messy
1 bag of Epsom salt
12 packs of Lemon-ade Koolaid----unsweetened packs
1 container Lemi Shine Rinse Aide

For laundry:
Mix 1/2 box of Borax, 1/2 box of baking soda, 1/2 box of super washing soda, 1 and 1/2 bars of grated fels-neptha soap, 1 container of Oxy Clean in BIG, BIG bowl! Mix WELL and store in pretty container in laundry room. Use 1-2 Tablespoons per load. I may use more!!!

For dishwasher detergent:
Mix 1/2 box of Borax, 1/2 box of super washing soda, 2 cups epsom salt, 12 packs of kool-aid. Mix WELL in BIG, BIG bowl. Store in a pretty container. Use 1 tablespoon in dishwashing liquid compartment. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of lemi-shine rinse aid in bottom of dishwasher before you start it! MUST USE LEMI-SHINE for this to work well!

I am in the process of testing these out! I'll let you know how well they work! They were FUN to make, cost effective, and natural!

Here are some picture for all you visual learners like me!